Surfing curves
(Building in villa complex: Tiger Hill, Suzhou)
There is something almost comic in the organic curve of this roof; it is so sweeping and bowed, seemingly almost to the point of impossibility. I have mentioned Tiger Hill numerous times and I hope to visit it frequently. It is steeped in legend and boasts a surprising amount of attractions within its garden, this being one of the many buildings making up an imperial villa (though this description does not justify it, as all elements of the complex are positively palatial). I remember this as being a kind of gatehouse to the rest of the buildings which included temples, pagodas, gardens, terraces, living quarters, it was all present.
The detail of the roof is astounding and when seen with everything else at Tiger Hill, the overall effect is mesmerising and strangely unexpected. Where the UK offers castles, cathedrals and stately homes, this is something quite ‘foreign’ in every sense of the word; perhaps the Chinese have grown used to these monuments of affluence left to them, but I can only marvel at how strange it looks and feels. I almost felt as if I were on the set of a film careering crazily over-budget, yet it is so much more than a pop-up palace; it feels more like a sanctuary from the polluted, demanding city just a few hundred metres distant.
